Mario Manningham to Start Practicing

Mario Manningham is one of four members of the 49ers set to join practice this week.

The 49ers receiving corps are in good shape, according to Jim Harbaugh.

The group will receive a boost this week with the return of six-year veteran Mario Manningham.

San Francisco’s second-leading wideout in 2012, is scheduled to begin practicing after opening the first 6 games of the season on the team’s Physically Unable to Perform list. Manningham tore knee ligaments in last season’s Week 16 loss at Seattle.

“They can start practicing this week and we anticipate that,” Harbaugh said.

The four players have a 21-day window to work and potentially be added to the team’s 53-man roster.

Harbaugh said the team is looking at “all the possibilities” on how the roster might change in the coming weeks.

The 49ers coach stressed that the four players will have to be medically cleared to play in games and then most importantly, they have to earn their gameday roles.

“There’s a process there to when they come back ready to compete in games,” Harbaugh explained. “The final step is they have to be better than somebody that’s at their position.

“When the process is complete, they’re either back out there playing or somebody is in there playing.”

Manningham’s addition to the receiving corps is welcomed by the team’s current No. 1 receiver, Anquan Boldin.

“We’ve seen him the last couple of weeks out there running around, with the trainers, running routes,” Boldin said. “We’re happy to get him back in the fold. I think he brings that play-making ability to our offense. We’re definitely excited to get him back.”

Harbaugh was asked reports of the 49ers being interested in acquiring another wide receiver via trade, but Harbaugh declined to share if there was any truth to San Francisco’s reported interests.

“There’s always possibilities out there and you could go into endless speculation to comment on every one of them,” Harbaugh said. “We don’t believe everything we read on the internet.”

The 49ers coach continued to back his wide receivers. San Francisco’s wideouts caught five of Colin Kaepernick’s 16 completions in Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

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